PackRat's 2020 Daily Driving Diary

So would the guard or office personnel inform you that you shouldn't deliver early? We got a couple notices about not delivering early but when we got there and asked they said it was fine, all d&h not live unloads. Thank you for all the time and energy this will take Packrat!!

Good question because on the delivery I referred to above, I called Walmart first and they told me i could bring it in early. Not sure what the guards at the gate would have said.

So would the guard or office personnel inform you that you shouldn't deliver early? We got a couple notices about not delivering early but when we got there and asked they said it was fine, all d&h not live unloads.

I always make a point of finding out from my dispatch about appointment times on the major accounts: WM, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, etc. If there is a 12 to 24 hour window, or a drop and hook , the exact timing is not as critical. That means get there ASAP, then you can get the next dispatch sooner, equaling more money for more miles.

I also always try to get the appointment times moved up if there is enough HOS for me to do it. This doesn't always happen, though. If it doesn't, this is when I get on the phone and call the customer. I normally will have about a 40% chance of getting in earlier this way than if I followed what dispatch had instructed. This all comes down to experience and dealing with certain customers, which will take time to figure out.

I tell people all the time to keep notes: customer interactions, directions, good phone numbers, points of contact, dock workers names, parking possibilities, etc. Knowledge is power, and so is experience.

I look forward to it Packrat. I am amazed at how y'all are constantly going to new, unfamiliar places and needing to come up with a solution.

I look forward to following along, Packrat, and appreciate the time and efforts you're committing to this.

Questions, already! Said you're assigned to the lower 48 and Canada..... does that mean you run in certain lanes or regions, or are you truly all over that territory, with or without any regularity? Do you go to Canada? If you do, does Canada travel and business differ much in respects from same in the US?

I run all the lower 48, any order they dispatch me in. Sometimes I may get several loads in the same general area, but nothing dedicated or regional. I usually have a seemingly difficult time getting off the east coast once there, though. I may see the same five states repeatedly for two weeks, then not again for two months. My preference is any state west of the Mississippi River. I will not do NYC or DC. Already been there with a truck, and don't recall anything enjoyable about it.

Canada is about the same as the US, as far as shippers and receivers goes. Their docks look the same, and most of the locals speak English. I did go to a spot in Quebec where they all spoke French, though. So I broke out my memory bank from the 1980s and spoke terrible French, too. (Thanks to my six years training in The Legion. Viva le France!) Everything is much more expensive north of the border, and there is less parking to be found. I don't seek out trips to Canada, but I'll head there if dispatched. Speed limits are slightly lower than the US, but weight restrictions are higher.

That continues making it all real, thank you!

I've been to Quebec a number of times and have been told that most locals can speak English but that disappears in the presence of an American..... which is what I can honestly relate, not sayin' anything otherwise about those Quebecers... :-)

You mentioned training with The Legion. Is that the Legion of Honour, the French society?

You mentioned training with The Legion. Is that the Legion of Honour, the French society?

The French Foreign Legion from 1979-86.

A little off-topic but noteworthy:

Much respect for your service, and I'm sure that experience added immeasurable value in your life.

I was glad for the excuse to go to Wikipedia and learn about the French Foreign Legion. During your active timeframe, global peacekeeping operations in concert with multinational forces are written about.

I hold 2 passports (one is Irish) and my heart, my identity will always enjoy this good fortune of the legacy of 2 cultures.

But I do have a French moniker!

Thèrése

Yes, lots of "global peacekeeping" was experienced while in The Legion, as well as later on in the US Army and US Navy.

Alas, both my hearts will remain American.

( missed opportunity here for lack of the right emoji..... Brett, please do add some!)

smile / thumbs up / salute !!!